Delirious Vision
by She Has Green Eyes
Summary: An unbridled wild spirit, an unstable emotional empath, a self-assured psionic butterfly, a lost psychic vampire, and a perfectly-balanced gymnast unite to fight against a common enemy--A modern-day Medusa who is intent upon snakes ruling the Earth..
1. Chapter One: The Secret

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Chapter One

Diana Bailey entered what had been her home for the longest time, a small house near the coasts of Maine. Today may have seemed like an ordinary day to anyone else, but to seven-year-old "Dee", it was the proudest moment in her life. Quickly dropping her book bag to the floor, she ran into the kitchen to find her mother at the table. Dee immediately embraced Sarah Bailey, even though she didn't look as bright and happy as her daughter had.

"Mom! I won! I even got a trophy!" Dee exclaimed, running back to the entrance of the living room to snatch up her backpack and return to the kitchen. Unzipping it, she seemed to have no patience at that moment, but little children the age of seven had more patience than Dee did. She pulled out a golden trophy with a blue stand, her name on a plaque at the bottom. The girl at the top had her arms thrown back, her face held proud into the air. That was just how Dee felt right now.

"Good job, Dee! You can put it next to your others on the shelf in the living room." Though she sounded a bit less than excited at the moment, she had her reasons, which had just become considerably worse. She placed a hand on her stomach, lightly gagging in the back of her throat. She was starting to feel sick again. Running to the bathroom, Sarah had to expel her current nauseated feeling, which had been better just an hour before.

Dee frowned a bit and went back into the living room, staring down at her new trophy. There was one for every year on the shelf, as she had one every competition since she was five years old. She was a born gymnast with excellent balance, or so her instructors told her, and a child prodigy who could make it to nationals if she tried hard enough. She felt a bit of comfort when her father, David, came through the door, smiling as he saw the trophy sparkling in his daughter's small hands.

"Hey, you won! Great job. Where's your mother?" Suddenly regretting the question as her large, pale blue eyes looked toward the ground, he kneeled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Sick again? Don't worry, Dee. The hospitals will find out what's wrong." He grimaced a bit, knowing that his wife had been sick ever since Diana was born, and they were running out of money fast. He was a businessman, but he hadn't found his big break yet, leaving them out of money. He stood and walked upstairs, heading to his room because of the sudden weakness he felt. He knew she felt guilty about their illnesses, seeing as she was the only healthy one in the family, but he could always feel her thoughts in her head as if she were speaking to him. The same went for his wife and every other person out there, but David had known since he was fourteen years old that he was a mutant.

David had telepathy, or the ability to read minds as if they were his own. He had enrolled in a school to help control them in his teenage years, and succeeded in becoming a businessman without any question. Of course, now that Xavier's was getting more popular, he wouldn't doubt that they'd find out eventually from a background check that he wasn't fit for public work. He wondered if his little girl was one too, his perfect gymnast who hadn't fallen once in her life, but quickly put the thought out of his mind. If she was a mutant, it would damage her chances at a future. He knew she was worthy of the Olympics even at this age, but he knew not to push it. After all, she needed to grow up a normal child in order to live a normal life.

As her father ascended the stairs, Dee looked back to her shelf, placing the new trophy next to the other two. A strand of her raven locks had fallen from the bun at the top of her head, staying next to one of her pale cheeks. She was an odd child and had always been that way, but she had gymnastics to strive for. For a seven-year-old, she was already mature and aware of the family's hardships, and that's why she had to go on with being a happy child. She was the ray of sunshine in their lives, and that brought a small smile to her heart-shaped lips.

Diana Bailey was now eleven years old. She had still won every local competition in gymnastics, even continued on to state last year and won that as well. The newspapers had featured her on the front page that day, smiling proudly, a little girl emerging into a young woman. David had found his big break, and now they were much better off financially than ever before, even planning on moving someday. She was blossoming fast, but her mind was sharp enough to keep up with her body. The trophy shelf now had eight trophies upon it, including the one she won from the state competition.

David had seen the changes in her daughter both physically and mentally, and he was wondering why he hadn't seen it sooner. His hand moved to remove his glasses and set them on the table, rubbing his eyes afterwards and waiting for his daughter to enter the living room after practice. They had some serious things to discuss, and he could only hope that she was ready for it. His wife had been in the hospital all day for tests, and he had already known the answers. They thought it would have something to do with her equilibrium, but when they had checked, they said it was normal, although it showed significant damage before.

Dee entered through the front door, lightly sighing at the hardships of her day. She had been ridiculed at practice, even though she did perfect as usual. She was being isolated because of her determination, and she knew at once that she wouldn't be popular at all from now on. Everyone was tired of hearing about her in the paper, tired of their parents telling them that they should work as hard as she did, and tired of Dee in general. The day had worn the girl out, but she wasn't one to be down for long. She greeted her father automatically, turning on the light in the darkening living room. "Hey Dad."

David looked up, barely even hearing his daughter enter with the grace and silence of a cat, placing his glasses back in their rightful position. "Hello, Diana." He suddenly stiffened, feeling like an old man calling her that, and noticing how much she had grown right in front of his eyes. Dee looked slightly confused, perking a dark brow at her full name and setting her book bag down, joining him in his seat on the couch. Thoughts were racing through her mind at a mile a minute, almost unbearable for the telepathic David.

"Your mother's in the hospital today. She got some tests done. They say she has taken severe damage to the equilibrium, or the part of her brain that controls balance. They're keeping her overnight because they can't seem to find the source. But that isn't the only thing that I sat down with you here to tell you." He took a deep breath, searching his mind for the correct words that could be explanation for what he was going to tell her, but instead of prolonging it, chose those most fit. "Diana...I'm a mutant." Now feeling a large burden lifted, he waited before speaking again. "And you might be one too."


	2. Chapter Two: Genes

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Chapter Two

Katina Braddock-Worthington had grown up without a care in the world. Money was taken care of by Warren Worthington III, a businessman as well as her father. He had hit it big even though he was the proclaimed mutant Angel and used to run with the X-Men, but he had long since retired from the team. That's where he met her mother, Elisabeth Braddock. Codenamed Psylocke, she was a mutant as well, but the two of them had raised Kat like a normal child. Betsy, a telepath, had felt a psychic bond with her daughter ever since she was born, knowing full well that she would grow up to be a mutant as well. However, that didn't prepare her for the aspect of Warren's abilities in her daughter's ensemble of powers. Warren had the ability of flight provided by the soft, feathery wings on his back.

Kat was at the tender age of thirteen, a true teenager now that her birthday had passed, but that didn't stop her from developing a spoiled child's attitude towards life. Whatever she wanted, her Daddy could always get it for her. But the defining attribute in the young woman hadn't been her rotten personality. It was her strive for power. Ever since she was a child, Kat had always achieved the highest of anything. She was a genius in terms of IQ, a black belt in the Martial Arts, Ninjitsu being her specialty, and she had even snuck a few tapes of her mother and father in their superhero days and watched them, always left in awe of their experiences together.

Kat wanted to be an adventurer. The only problem was that her telepathy wasn't even as strong as her mother's, and even that wouldn't help her in combat. Now, standing on the cemented personal balcony that was built outside of her room, her bright blue eyes looked to the several stars anointing the sky with their presence. Her once-blonde hair was dyed purple because she wanted to look like her mother, but it was her father who she really admired. Her full lips came to a pout as she was thinking, yelling out into the night like a half-crazed woman. "You better give me powers, or else I'll join the X-Men anyways and get beat up!" Her immaturity was apparent, but obviously it had worked.

The next morning, her back was aching. She grumbled the entire time at breakfast, leaving her hair a mess and coming downstairs in her bathrobe, greeting her parents with a rather disgruntled hello. Betsy's violet eyes shifted to look at her husband, whose baby blues stared right back at her. We need to have a talk with her, Warren. Using telepathy, Betsy sipped her tea, turning back to watch her daughter shovel breakfast into her mouth. Shaking her head, she excused herself from the table and went into the family room, touching Warren on the shoulder before departing. Bring her in the family room when she's done. The blue-skinned Warren nodded lightly, clouding his thoughts as Betsy had taught him to when he felt his daughter's presence in his mind.

"What are you guys talking about? Are you talking about me?" Her smooth, curt voice demanded, strongly accented with an English tone. Kat grew up in the Worthington Estate in England as per her mother's instructions, seeing as she didn't want her anywhere near the X-Men. And they had lived in peace since they left. Warren simply shook his head, standing and waiting for her. When she finally finished, he motioned for her to follow him, receiving a frustrated groan afterwards. "What?"

As they walked into the family room, Warren sat next to Betsy on the couch, putting an arm around her, while Kat took a seat in the chair next to it. Psylocke cleared her throat, implying that she would rather not be interrupted in the middle of what she was about to say. "Kat, you're thirteen now. I'd like you to make a choice. You know you have telepathy that still needs some work. What I'm asking is this: Would you like to attend Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester?" Betsy looked to Angel for reassurance, meeting his pale blue eyes and suddenly feeling a lot more comfortable.

"Like to? Hell, yeah! I'd love to!" Kat jumped at the opportunity, sitting on her knees now in the chair.

"Language." Warren warned Kat, knowing that it was in Betsy's mind as well.

"Sorry. When do I start?" She was excited about the entire prospect. "Do I get to go on missions? Do I get a uniform too? What should my codename be? Are the kids cool?"

"Slow down, Katina. We're talking about attending the school, not becoming part of the X-Men." Betsy was scanning her mind telepathically, detecting some unusual activity in one part of the brain, but unable to decipher exactly what it was. "This means you won't be able to go on missions or get a uniform. And the kids there are fine, upstanding young people like yourself."

"Mom!" It was a loud whine, making both Warren and Betsy cringe, but Betsy was stubborn on the subject. "I won't get hurt; I can take care of myself!"

"Kat, I'm uncomfortable about you getting yourself into trouble." Psylocke's voice was stern.

"Well, Betts, maybe we should consider it..."

"Warren?"

"Well, Brian..."

"This isn't about my brother."

"But still. Maybe we should send her there first, see how she does, and then she'll be able to decide for herself whether or not to be an X-Man."

"Woman. And I don't think it's a good idea."

"Come on, Betts. We were young once." Warren took her chin in his index and middle fingers, placing a small kiss on her lips.

"Warren..." His hand lay on the other side of her neck, his lips going down to softly kiss the sensitive areas there. "Alright. We'll see how she does. One detention, young lady, and you're coming straight home." Kat jumped in excitement, leaping off the chair and hugging both parents.

"You owe me one, Kat." Warren smiled a bit, shooing her away with one hand.

"Yeah, yeah." She exited the room, going upstairs almost squealing. "I'm going to be an X-Woman!" Suddenly, violet pins shot out in front of her, melting holes in the floor. "What the--" She found that the ache in her back was gone, shrugging lightly and covering up the holes with a rug, entering her room. She screamed as she looked in the mirror, a pair of butterfly wings made of psychic energy decorating her back. Warren and Betsy rushed upstairs, both gasping as they saw her newly-gained mutation. Kat found that she had control of them and fluttered them, her eyes on her parents. "Uhh, Mom?"

"You're going."


	3. Chapter Three: Wrath

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Chapter Three

Keirri Hatmaker was fourteen years old the day she stood next to her father's emerald green casket. No doubt, she had had a hard life in the past, but this was the worst thing that could possibly happen. Paul, the man now lying in the casket, was her mother's first love. However, after two kids, Keirri and David, they divorced, and Laura went to Paul's brother, Elmer, for comfort. They ended up together and got married in Keirri's late childhood, producing Melissa.

Elmer and Laura had their hardships, more than any couple should suffer, but still she allowed herself to be manipulated by him. David moved in with Paul, leaving Keirri and Melissa alone in a house of Hell. More and more, Laura fell under Elmer's spell and began to neglect her children, and Keirri turned to her father for help. A month before his death, she spent a weekend in Heaven with him, and she decided she wanted to live with him. She went home, told the news to her mother, and was grounded immediately.

That left her here. Still stuck in that house, even though her father was going to hire a lawyer and get her out of there. Fate had muddled the situation, leaving Keirri stuck in a situation that made her feel downright horrible. She had grown up in that single week between receiving the news and the funeral, no longer retaining her bratty attitude and deserting it for a newer, better one. The experience had torn her heart in half, but the emotions from the funeral that she was receiving were overwhelming. She knew she was an empath long ago when she started looking into mutant powers, finding her answer in a book by Charles Xavier.

She left a rose in his coffin, her emerald eyes looking down as she ran her hand over his cold, stiff one, taking her last look at her father. She turned and walked away, never again looking behind.

A year and a half later, the fifteen-year-old Keirri was stuck in the same situation, watching over her blonde-haired, blue-eyed little sister alone. Her self-esteem had taken a turn for the worse, and day after day, she had spent time locked up in her room without a friend in the world. Elmer was worse than ever, and Laura was frustrating to Keirri, who had just gone through another break-up.

"Don't worry, I fell in love with the wrong one first too. You'll find another one." Laura gave her daughter a full-fledged smile, patting her on the back as if the sentence had no impact on Keirri's emotions.

"Mom," Keirri cleared her throat, approaching a subject with the utmost of care, "how would you feel if I wanted to go to a private school?" She tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear, the Indiana-born girl a bit nervous at the subject.

"Sure, hun, as long as it helps you get out of this mood. I can't have you sulking around here and taking up extra space, can I?" She was painfully oblivious to the situation.

"It's in New York...Are you sure we can afford it?" Her fingers nervously twitched, but she felt a great deal of bliss from her mother's emotions.

"Sure. I'll just use your Social Security money." Melissa entered the room, going into the fridge and grabbing a popsicle.

"Melissa..." The six-year-old stopped in her tracks, turning to her older sister. "How would you feel if Keiki were gone for a while?" Melissa just shrugged.

"You can go. Quit wasting my time."


	4. Chapter Four: Beaten

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Chapter Four

Maeve Illusen was fourteen years old. She was adopted by Karen and Robert Illusen, still left with no idea of who her real parents were. She was a child of inward nature, and was often abused and neglected for this fact. At thirteen years old, Eve had slit her wrists in an attempt to kill herself, but her foster mother had caught her in time to bring her to the hospital. When she got home, Karen would abuse her constantly for no reason, tearing out her stitches in frustration and prolonging the healing process. Eve ran a finger presently along the scar on her right wrist, thick and ugly because of the constant mutilation.

She was in her room, dwelling on memories, her hazel eyes staring forward into nothingness. Her dark brown hair was shoulder-length and completely straight, thinned by stress. Her eyes moved toward the door as she heard the doorknob turn, as if she were extra alert in terms of senses. Karen stepped in the doorway, closing the door behind her. Their eyes were locked. Eve shook her head, usually a good-natured girl, but deeply disturbed. "No..."

"Yes." Karen walked slowly towards the bed, her hands already clenching into fists. Her mouth drew into a thin line, knowing that the girl was disobedient. "You haven't left your room today. You deserve to be punished." She grabbed Eve's arms and threw her to the ground, kneeling as she turned over while practically panting. "You've been bad." She punched her in the nose, enough so that a cracking sound was heard, but the nose itself hadn't been broken. Blood trickled from one nostril, tears seeping from her eyes.

"Please...Stop!" Now getting pummeled, Eve felt a dizziness upon her. She had taken worse beatings than this, but the nauseated feeling grew worse, and suddenly she felt her bones twisting. Screaming as her bones began to reset and adjust themselves, reddish-brown fur began to sprout from her body, covering her as several other changes took place. Her ears came to a point and reshaped themselves, positioned at the top of her head. Her jaw lengthened, her nose blackening, and her eyes reverting to a lupine amber. Her arms and legs became thinner and the same length, hands and feet becoming paws with razor-sharp claws. Fangs of the same attributes replaced her canine teeth, a tail sprouting from her tailbone. She let a loud howl ring from her throat that was inhuman yet so natural as she leaped onto her adoptive mother. Before her jaws could close on that throat to inflict more than a scratch, Karen threw her off, shoving her into a closet and locking the door.

"You'll regret ever betraying me, you little wench!" With that, Karen left the room, Eve passing out inside the tight closet. When she woke up, she was human again, and the darkness seemed to be closing in on her. She banged on the door for what seemed like an hour, but was closer to twenty minutes, screaming her lungs out for help. She knew that Rob wouldn't help her either, and the thought made her start to cry. She screamed for hours on end until her throat grew sore, reduced down to dry sobs, as if she had no moisture left in her body.

For two days, she remained in that closet with no food and no water, spending half the time in and out of consciousness and the other half begging to be let out. Finally, Karen opened the door, turning her back as she walked away. She would have claustrophobia forever. She got to her feet, stumbling to the kitchen and getting herself something to eat and drink. After about half an hour, Rob and Karen approached her, glaring at her. Rob spoke. "We decided you'll be attending private school from now on in New York."

"Pack your bags, you little bitch."


	5. Chapter Five: Snakes

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Chapter Five

Susan Gala was an orphan. Her parents were in a plane crash while flying over Brazil, and only she survived. A tribe found her and took her in as their own, and she had been there ever since. The tribe was ruled, however, by money-hungry terrorists. Born with sandy blonde hair and lime green eyes, she was remarkable when it came to intelligence. However, she had an odd attribute. She would always play near the snakes, but they would never harm her. The tribe, seeing this, coined her Anna Conda.

Anna was seven years old when they discovered the true extent of her power. It was a normal day in the tribe, and Anna was receiving her schooling when they received sudden news from a rushed messenger. "Our tribe is being attacked by an anaconda! Run!" Even though it was close to a pun, the man she was with drew his mouth into a thin line as he looked down at the child, standing up and forcing her to follow him out of the area. However, she started going the other way when she saw the anaconda.

"Wait! Stop! You'll be killed!" The man knew of Anna's affiliation with snakes, but a child taking on an anaconda was too much. He ran after her only to find her approaching it, getting it to lower its head enough so that she could stroke it. The snake's eyes closed and its tongue flicked out in a pleased matter, which made Anna smile. "How..." From that day on, she kept the snake as a pet, though sometimes she would be seen with a small garden snake laced around her shoulders. The snake had the mystical power to grow as small as a garden snake or as large as an anaconda, or anywhere in between. Finding this odd that these two seemed to find each other, he noticed that the men watching over the tribe took great interest in the girl, but never confirmed it.

Anna Conda was thirteen years old. She had become a trained thief, picking pockets for money to survive. She had gone out today like any other day, deciding to pick the pocket of a heavyset man in a suit, but before she could remove her hand, he grabbed her wrist. "What do you think you're doing?!" He pulled her hand from his pocket and took her back to her tribe, throwing her on the ground. "That little girl almost robbed me...I demand retribution!" Anna stood, and the man put his hand on her shoulder, grasping it, and not letting go. Suddenly, he screamed as a snake bit his hand, a snake protruding from her head. What once was her hair was now composed of dozens of snakes attached to her head, and the fear she was projecting had allowed them to take action.

Anna Conda decided then the route of her life, the thirst for blood driving her decision to become a tool of the terrorists. She believed that snakes should dominate the Earth instead of humans, and developed the ability to control snakes as well. The terrorists left the tribe and took her to North America, more specifically the States, and then was trained in combat efficiently. On her biggest mission, to destroy the Empire State Building, the X-Men appeared, sent by S.H.I.E.L.D., but were unaware of who had committed the crime.

In her early teens, she became a millionaire because of her proficiency in killing and destroying cities with her snakes. However, she moved back to South America to continue her criminal activities, naming her pet anaconda 'Nigh'.

It was then when she discovered the mystical powers of Nigh, as she was going on a mission and became seriously injured. The next morning, she woke up without the injury, and it was then when she realized that Nigh had healed her. Also, the snake carried an anti-aging aura, which is why Anna will always look like a late teenager.

For a short time, Anna lived in Valle Soleada, the mutant-friendly community in California, and there she met Henry Lynch, a fellow mutant. After she fell in love with him, Anna began to reconsider her ways and started a life with Henry, getting married at nineteen years old. She even began to work as a spy for the U.S. government, giving them information on the biggest terrorists there were to clean her record and have a normal life.

Anna went on maternity leave when she found out that she was pregnant, and nine months later gave birth to a baby girl. However, when her daughter, named Maeve Lynch, was just weeks old, she gave her up to an adoption agency when she and Henry divorced because of a disagreement. Nigh bit and killed him by Anna's accord, and she fled California, resuming her life as a criminal at the age of twenty-one.

Anna Conda sat in her mansion now, in the living room, reading a book. It wouldn't be too long before she revealed herself to the world...Not long at all.


	6. Chapter Six: Shattered

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Chapter Six

Natasha, an infamous vampire who has lived for centuries, was romantically involved with both Vincent and Dimitrius Cromwell. Vincent satisfied Natasha's thirst for power, yet she found herself in love with Dimitrius. After losing her memory and spending four years in a mental institution until April of 1916, Dimitrius stumbled upon her while playing psychiatrist and aided her in escaping. Afterwards, Natasha finally realized that she was in love with Dimitrius, who had loved her for years, but she had always been with Vincent in those times, and they shared their love together, which left Natasha pregnant with twins. One girl, one boy, Natasha gave the boy up for adoption while she left the girl, Cassandra, with Dimitrius, who also gave her up for adoption. The guy grew up and married and they gave birth to a guy who married and his wife gave birth to Nathalie Owens, who later married Bryan Scott and reproduced to have Cassandra. In that, Natasha is Cassandra's great-great-grandmother.

Cassandra was always a quiet child, keeping to herself, but always became concerned when it came to the emotions of others. Later, she would learn that she would have to feed off of emotions, the ability she was born with, every week or so, otherwise she would become mentally unstable. Needless to say, since she did not know how to control her abilities and there was little emotional pain to feed upon in her house, she would slip into psychotic rants, but her parents thought that it was normal for such a strange little girl.

When she was thirteen years old, Cassie felt completely void and empty of any emotion. She went down to her basement to be alone, but she found it so hard to comfort herself. It was as if she wasn't feeling anything at all. Her movements were slow, deliberate, and she couldn't speak very well, she soon found. "My life...isn't worth living..." Realizing this, she took a length of rope from the tool bench, making a noose the way she had seen it done in movies. Tying it to a thick, secure pipeline, she stepped up onto a stool, ready to slip it over her neck and kick over the steps. Nathalie, however, had been doing laundry and came downstairs, gasping loudly at the sight. "Cassie!" She ran to her, dropping the laundry, and embraced her, feeling a slight pull that felt normal. Cassie was feeding off of her emotions, and soon came to her senses, the raven-haired beauty returning to her usual self.

Her large brown eyes, however, remained sad from that day on, realizing and recognizing her curse, and knowing that she was a mutant. Now sixteen years old, she entered the office of her psychiatrist, a nice, cocoa-skinned woman with a femininely short haircut. Ms. Bryant, first name Kay, offered Cassie a seat on the other side of her desk, and Cassie sat down as she did every week. Kay smiled to her patient, crossing her legs.

"So, how are we today, Cassie?" Kay had a notebook and pen ready, although she remembered everything she told her by heart. "Feel anything unusual?"

"Not really. I've been alright, as usual." Cassie yawned a bit, her hair back in a ponytail and dressed in simple, casual clothes and athletic shoes.

"Good. I want to talk about the incident that happened in your basement when you were thirteen today. Mind telling me why you tried to commit suicide?"

"I felt like I had nothing to live for. I couldn't feel anything positive...Just negative things. I just felt like I had to end it if it was meaningless."

"How was your childhood, Cassie? Any domestic violence, abuse?"

"It was fine. I wasn't the most outgoing child, but I was normal. No, they never hit each other. But I would get these days where I felt like I was starving." Cassie chose her words carefully.

"What do you mean by starved?"

"I'm a mutant, Kay. Answer enough of your questions for today?" Cassie sighed lightly, rubbing her forehead. "I'm stressed out."

"A mutant?" Kay tilted her head curiously. "Then why haven't you attacked me with psychic powers or an optic beam of some sort?"

"Not that kind of mutant. I just know that I can feel what other people are feeling, and I can feed off of their emotions. If I don't, I starve. I can control their mind while I'm doing it, too, so I can force them to remember things."

"Really? Why don't you show me this 'mutant power' of yours?" Kay quirked an eyebrow, not really believing her patient of a year, but as Cassie stood and placed a hand on Kay's forehead, she began to get a bit nervous.

"You're getting nervous...Don't worry, it won't hurt. You'll feel a pull."

Sure enough, she was feeling a pull, and she suddenly felt drained mentally. "Okay. You can stop now. I believe you."

But Cassie kept going. She had to see. Cassie needed help. She forced a memory out of her from her childhood, where she was getting raped by her neighbor's son.

"That's enough!" Kay opened her eyes, Cassie taking her palm off and feeling rejuvenated, calmly sitting back down.

"Told you."

"This isn't a game. There's a place for people like you..."


	7. Chapter Seven: New Beginnings

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Chapter Seven

The first one to arrive at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was Keirri Hatmaker. Her mother had arranged for a plane ticket immediately, and from there she took a taxi with a small amount of provided money, spending most of it on the ride. Pulling up to the school, Kei bit her lip hard, a nervous habit of hers. Exiting the taxi, she carried her suitcase with her, approaching the ebony, iron-wrought gates with a bit of an overwhelmed feeling. A small black intercom was located on the brick siding, ivy creeping up the sides in decoration, and Kei pressed the button to buzz the person inside.

"State your name and business, please." The woman who had spoken on the other side had a cold voice, proper and self-assured.

"Keirri Hatmaker. I'm new here." Her voice lightly trembled, but the sentence was understandable.

"Please step back and come to the front door when the gates open."

Doing as she was told, she gasped in sheer awe of the size of the building in front of her, stepping into the entrance courtyard beyond the gates. A statue was located in the middle, and the woman with whom she had spoken was standing beside it. Standing at an impressive 5'10", the woman was dressed in all white, strips of skin showing here and there in her top. A long cape flowed behind her, her ivory pants hugging her tightly. "We will wait for the others. There are three more arriving today, and I'd like to just do one speech." With her regal appearance, she looked like an ice queen with impressive posture. Her ash blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, and pale blue eyes almost stared right through her.

Suddenly, Kei felt self-conscious standing there in just a t-shirt and jeans with some sneakers, but she hadn't been too worried about it until now. She had thrown her chestnut hair back into a ponytail, and had a very messy appearance. She found, oddly, that she couldn't read the woman's emotions, but the woman, aware of her thoughts, only gave a smirk in response.

Not five minutes after, another car pulled up into the driveway, this time containing two girls who had been picked up from the airport as well. One of them, Maeve Illusen, looked very friendly in appearance, a dusting of freckles across a classic peaches-and-cream complexion, a smile on her face. Her hazel eyes almost shone the amber tone of whiskey, and her richly auburn hair was down to her shoulders. She was dressed a bit better than Kei, but still in casual clothes.

The other girl, Cassandra Scott, was quite the opposite, looking as if she were pale and slightly sickly, bags underneath her deep brown eyes. Her raven-colored hair was pulled away from her face, but fell down to her back. She wore all black, chains lightly clinking together as she walked along with Eve, meeting them at the statue.

They all looked up as a private jet landed on the front lawn, decorated with odd colors of purple and pink. The driver rushed to the side door, pulling it open, and out stepped Katina Braddock-Worthington. Her regal appearance rivaled the older woman's, her lavender locks tied back into a French twist. Her medium blue eyes narrowed into slits and her nose turned slightly upward at the company she would be keeping. Men rushed out behind her with several suitcases and bags, though keeping a safe distance. She was wearing a white blouse with tight, black pants, accessorized with black stilettos. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting." Her accent was completely English, and the other girls looked slightly dumbfounded at her riches.

The woman cleared her throat. "Now we can begin."


	8. Chapter Eight: An Introduction

**Chapter Eight**

The woman spoke once more, running a hand over the cement Phoenix's wing. "Introductions are in order. This is Charles Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning. He founded this school as a haven for mutants like yourselves and like me. I am the headmistress of this school, Emma Frost. You will address me as Miss Frost at all times. The headmaster is Scott Summers, though some of you may know him by his codename, Cyclops, who is busy at the moment. Now, the tour."

As Emma moved forward into the school and lead the girls through, they followed almost silently, uncomfortable around each other. "This is the main building, children. The first floor has classrooms, faculty offices, and the ballroom which will also serve as an assembly hall." They walked past many paintings hanging on the walls decorating the mansion, passing several students on their way who immediately recognized them as rookies, but said nothing in the presence of Miss Frost. They continued into a room which was obviously a cafeteria.

"This is our cafeteria. It will be open from breakfast until dinner to accommodate any variation of eating schedules." Several carts were offering up any type of food, but what was unique about the room was the glass-paned walls. A dome in actuality, brown paneling interrupted the glass in a fashionable style, obviously much improved since the mansion had been rebuilt. She led them out the sliding door of the cafeteria to the back area.

"We have a basketball court and swimming pool out back. However, be advised that if you hear the Klaxon go off, you are to clear the courts immediately. The hangar for the X-Men's jet is directly below, and the court is retractable." There was also a lake. The swimming pool was large and contained many children, while the basketball court only contained two mutants going one-on-one. The rookies watched them use their powers to combat each other, only to be led to the side building.

"This is the girls' dormitory building. On the other side of the main building is the boys' dorm. Past ten p.m., all students are to be in the dorms. Their dorms. This hedge maze was designed by Giancarlo Betto, the famous mutant landscaper." The hedge maze was huge, containing nothing short of a labyrinth. Emma motioned to the other side of the building, near a pathway into the surrounding forest.

"That's my office over there and the door is always open." She didn't need to take them inside for them to already know that it was elegant.

"On the second floor is the gym and faculty housing. But the exciting areas...The areas for which you need a teacher with you...Those are downstairs." Emma pressed a red button, waiting for the elevator and satisfied as the rounded compartment slid open and fit all of them with no problem, soon opening into the sub-levels. She led them out of the elevator and into an all-steel hallway, her heels clicking lightly against the floor.

"This sub-level is where most of the X-Men activity takes place. Down this corridor, for example, is Cerebra, our mutant detection system. It can locate any mutant, anywhere. Only a skilled telepath like myself can enter the chamber and use Cerebra." Cerebra was guarded by a large, circular door, basically fitting the decor of all steel accessories. They approached a door that clearly stated: Danger Room, No Student Access Without Faculty Advisor. Emma slid a card she had handy through and the door slid open to reveal a large, empty, circular room, a blue-tinted control hub at the top for observation.

"This is the Danger Room, where the X-Men have advanced combat training. This room will remained locked at all times as the simulations are quite realistic. Only faculty and X-Men can open it. The Danger Room conjures up obstacles or opponents to test control of powers and combat abilities. Danger Room scenarios are brought online and kept in check from the station above. Which brings us to the end of our tour." Ruby red lips twitched into a small smirk, using a hand to shoo them away. "Return to your dorms or recreation areas if you wish, just don't bother me right now. Go mingle amongst yourselves."

With that, the four girls all traveled to the elevator, going upstairs before stopping awkwardly in the cafeteria. "Hey...Is anyone hungry?" The first one to bring up the question was Eve Illusen, bringing a good natured smile to her friendly features. The rest nodded, except for Kat, who rolled her eyes immediately.

"I doubt they have edible food here. My stomach is sensitive except when it comes to exquisite food. Sorry kids, but I'm out." With that, the psionic butterfly left the cafeteria, leaving the other girls confused.

"Bitch." Cassie spoke for the first time.


	9. Chapter Nine: Gone

**Chapter Nine**

As the day grew longer and evening began to set in, the girls immediately began to relate to one another, even though they took a bit of coaxing. After eating lunch with each other, they found out their assigned dormitories from Miss Frost after a visit to her office.

Emma spoke to them behind her desk, her office lavishly decorated. "You will all be in Quad C, which will contain six girls who are on the same team, which I'll explain later. Two girls will be in one room, and there are three rooms to each quad, along with one personal recreation room. Keirri and Cassandra will be in Room 1, while Maeve and Katina will be in Room 2. You will have to locate Kat later in order to tell her this, as she is not present at this--" One fine brow perked, and one moment later, Kat came through the door. "Ah. Look who has decided to grace us with her royal presence." Emma smirked cruelly, although she was more regal than Kat was. "As I was saying, you're in Room Two with Maeve."

"Which one is that?" Katina raised a brow as well at Cassandra, looking her over disdainfully.

Eve stepped forward, holding out her hand. "I'm Maeve Illusen, but you can call me Eve."

Kat gave a curl of her lip, turning back to Emma as she refused the handshake. "Can't I have my own room? Surely you must consider that I am significantly richer than these girls, and have much more exquisite tastes."

Never taking that cold smirk from her full lips, Emma cut her off before even considering it. "No. You will have two more team members before the month is out, and I assure you, they will be female."

"An all-girl team?" Eve spoke up, not even bruised by Kat's earlier comments.

"Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." They all turned to exit her office, Kat still wearing a frown.

"Oh, well. Maybe I can teach you some fashion sense. And your interior decorating skills may need some work too." Eve acted as if she hadn't heard each unpleasant remark, which left a flush in Kat's cheeks. "Such riff-raff. I can't be seen with you. I'm off to socialize with a better kind of people."

"She makes me so angry." Usually, being an empath, Keirri could control her temper, but Kat rubbed her in the wrong way. "My father always taught me that we're all equal, no matter what genes, class, or money we may have."

"Your father had a good point. She just needs some time to adjust, and I'm sure she'll come around. I heard her parents used to go here too, and they have a lot better attitudes than she does." Eve smiled to Keirri, as if to comfort her.

"Alright. This conversation's getting a bit too philosophical for me. I'm going to go read a book." Cassandra walked away, enjoying the solitary life style.

"She seems nice, but I have a feeling she's not telling us something." Keirri observed Cassie's demeanor, but thought little to nothing of it, until she read her emotions just then. "I'm an empath. I can sense others' emotions, and when I tried to sense hers just now...It was like static on a television. I wasn't getting anything."

"Maybe that's a part of her powers." Eve had noticed something a bit off about her departure as well, but that was because she didn't smell right. But she didn't have much experience in her powers yet, so she didn't have much faith in them either. "She didn't smell right to me. Like before, earlier in the day, she smelled so healthy, but just then she started to smell like she was exhausted or something."

"So what's your area of expertise?" Keirri walked along the hallways, eventually leading them to their squad's family room. She sat down on the plush, cream-colored couch, Eve sitting next to her.

"Well, I can change into a wolf and my senses are enhanced. I don't know about the rest of it, but I think there's something feline about it too. I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Well, have you ever tried?" Her green eyes were set on Eve's hazel ones with curiosity.

"That's easy for you to say. You're an empath, your powers come naturally. I have to force myself to change and concentrate, and with the pain, it's hard to do."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect."

"Hey, it's okay." Her eyes twinkled with ambiance at finding a new friend. "I think we should've been roomed together. Instead I'm stuck with that snob."

"I heard that, May, or whatever your name is." Suddenly stepping into the room, Kat's blue eyes fell on them, and it looked as if they were having a deep conversation.

"Maeve. And you can call me Eve."

"I could call you 'slave' for all you mean to me." She wrinkled her nose in disgust, but Eve shrugged it off. Kei, looking to escape the uncomfortable situation, stood and moved to the door of her own room, opening it and looking inside.

"Uhh, guys? Cassie's gone."


	10. Chapter 10: The Reason

****

Chapter 10

Diana Bailey sat in shock at home on her couch, her lips parted in awe at what her father had just revealed to her. "A mutant...? But, how?"

"I've had telepathy since I was fourteen years old. If it hadn't been for a school specializing in mutants in New York, I wouldn't have been able to control it. I think that your gymnastics may be due to your genes." He moved to embrace his daughter, but was surprised when she pulled away from him.

"I'm not a freak! I'm normal!" All of this was crippling to an eleven-year-old, and her first step was to deny it. "And you...You've hidden it from us for all these years! How could you, Daddy? How could you be one of them?"

"Excuse me, but you're one of 'them' too. I've known it since you were a child. You've never fallen once. That's unnatural, Dee. You know how many kids fall off their bikes and skin their knees, or how many trip and skin their elbows? You never fell. Even when presented with the hardest of challenges in gymnastics, you always kept your balance. Of course, there's nothing wrong with being a mutant, Diana. You need to learn to accept it and to embrace it. Your mother and I need you right now." He put a hand on her knee, but she brushed it away immediately, shaking her head.

"No, Daddy. I'm not like you! I'm not a mutant! I can't be one, and I'll never be one!" She stood and immediately ran up the stairs, tears streaming down her face. David rubbed his forehead, picking up the phone and dialing the number to the hospital to check on his wife.

Realizing that Cassie had lied to them, Eve and Kei were determined to find out what had happened to their friend. Kat rolled her eyes and placed her palm in front of her in the air. "Whatever. I don't have time to look around for that Devil-worshipper anyways. I found some new friends to hang out with." A mischievous glint in her eye twinkled before she left the dorm.

"I smell something." Eve spoke loudly, as if Kat were still in the room.

"What is it?" Kei asked, slightly curious.

"I smell a snob." They both giggled lightly before following her out to search for Cassandra.

They didn't have to wait long to find her, as they were coming from opposing directions in the hallway when they found her. As they stopped, so did she, like a deer in headlights, her cheeks seeming to lightly tinge with pink.

"Where were you? You said you'd be in our room reading, but when we got there, you weren't in there." Kei spoke first out of concern of her roommate, whose emotions were now brimming with more energy than any normal human's, and she noticed Eve lightly sniff the air.

"What? Do I need a babysitter or something? I never said I'd be in my room. I just said I was going to read a book." Something about Cassie's scent seemed suspicious, but her attitude was cooler than ever.

"Where's your book then?" Eve immediately asked, sharper in her senses and primal mind than Kei was.

"Duh. I was reading in the library. I didn't find anything really interesting, so I came back early. But that was before I knew that there was a neighborhood watch out on me." Cassie lightly rolled her eyes, but she toned down her attitude a bit. "Thanks anyways for being worried about me, though. It's a nice change from that bitch walking around here and proclaiming herself Princess of the Homo Superior race."

Both Kei and Eve relaxing a bit, they nodded in agreement. Kei, however, still curious about Cassie, decided to ask her a question as they proceeded to their dorm. "What are your powers? Eve and I were talking about ours earlier."

"I don't want to talk about it." Receiving suspicious glances from both of them, she continued. "I mean, they're not pleasant. You'll find out if we're ever in battle together."

Breaking the silence that followed, Kei spoke up again. "Battle? I don't think I could do much, unless they want me to feel someone to death."

"I'm sure they'll find a use for you, and if you're an empath, maybe you can sense others nearby since you can sense feelings, right?" Eve responded, always trying to find positive aspects in things.

"But why would they need that? You could just smell them."

"I'm not that advanced, and what happens if I catch a cold or if we're in water?"

"Great. I'll be useful for undersea exploring and sickness. Sounds exciting." Kei's tone dropped a few octaves, sounding disappointed.

"I hear that sometimes you get an additional ability later in life." This time it was Cassie who had spoken, her rich brown eyes clouded in mystery.

"I'm already 15, I already have my period, and went through puberty and back again." Kei smiled a little, brightening despite her comment.

"I heard that this guy who works here recently altered his powers, and he has to be in his late twenties, early thirties." Eve responded once more.

"You seem to know more about this place than I do." Cassie observed, flipping her raven tresses over her shoulder.

"Well, I sorta read up on it on the plane trip here."

"Reading about this place? Damn, what a boring roommate." Kat appeared behind them, all of them halting to turn and look at her. "Miss Frost wanted me to deliver the news. One of the new girls is here."


	11. Chapter 11: eXcalibur

****

Chapter 11

Anna Conda's lime green eyes brightened as Nigh shared some important information with her telepathically, information which had traveled along her line of communication. "Thank you..." She rose, taking Nigh along for the long ride.

"New girl? I wonder who it is." Eve sprung forward, following Kat.

"It doesn't matter. She'll probably be worse than the gothic chick over there." Those words, of course, left the elite socialite's mouth as she led them to the entrance courtyard.

"I have a name. Use it or lose your pretty little head, rich girl." The girls looked surprised at the comment, especially in front of their headmistress, who threw her a disapproving glare. Miss Frost stood by the Phoenix Memorial, but this time, there was someone by her side. He was a tall man of about 6'3", wearing a black uniform with yellow lining that covered his body except for his mouth and nose, a red visor over his eyes. Emma turned to look at the approaching girls, motioning to Scott.

"This is Scott Summers, the headmaster. I mentioned him earlier." After Scott gave a nod, their heads turned once more to see a black limousine pulling into the entrance courtyard, coming to a halt as a door opened.

"And I came in a taxi?" Eve asked, her eyebrow raised, impressed at the limo.

"So what? I came in a helicopter. That doesn't mean this new girl doesn't have class, though." Kat's blue eyes, however, stayed glued to the limo as the driver got out and opened the back door for the new student.

A girl about the height of 5'9" and with a muscular build stepped out. Her head was completely shaven, replacing the ebony flow that used to be there, and her sapphire eyes twinkled with the interest at seeing the school she was forbidden of attending only a week before. Her clothes were casual for such a rich lifestyle, even wearing combat boots. Gloves made of special material covered her hands, and they would find out the reason for them later. She stepped up to Emma Frost, and, surprisingly, embraced her into a hug, which Emma accepted warmly.

"Welcome to the school." She whispered lightly, obviously with compassion in her voice that she showed no one else but the man at her side. She turned, breaking the hug, and put her hand out to her side. "This is my younger sister, Cordelia Frost. Cordelia, these are Maeve, Keirri, Katina, and Cassandra." Cordelia brightly approached each one of them, shaking hands with even Kat.

"You can call me Cordy. Emma here just likes proper names." When she smiled, dimples were apparent in her cheek, looking no younger than fifteen when she was really seventeen.

"Alright. You girls can mingle someplace else, Scott and I have some business to attend to." Cordy gave a small giggle.

"Yeah, business." She winked at them both, bringing an annoyed glance from Emma, but led the girls inside to the main building.

"What was that all about?" Eve asked Cordy, who responded again with a small giggle.

"Oh, didn't you know? They're dating."

"Dating? Why would she go for him? He looks like a black condom." Kat retorted, narrowing her eyes.

"So, have you guys picked out codenames yet?"

"Codenames?" Kei asked.

"Yeah. You have to have something cool that they call you in battle in order to remain anonymous, ya know? Mine's going to be Frost."

"What's your power?" Cassie took an interest, wondering what her codename would be.

"I can create ice or lower the temperature in a room, and telepaths can't go into my mind. Whatever you call that." The ice was a fairly recent power for her, newly developed and raw. "That's why I wear gloves. I can't control it."

"Girls, get dressed into your uniforms. I haven't customized them, so they'll all look the same. However, you can decorate as you go on. We have trouble, and I think that you girls should be the ones to handle it." Emma's voice came in behind them.

"I think they're too inexperienced..." Scott came in after her, speaking with pride. "They haven't even presented themselves at the monthly assembly yet, nor have you given them codenames or a squad name. They haven't found an advisor. You don't even have a sixth girl yet!"

"Scott, they have to go in to retrieve the girl I was going to recruit. They would be the best ones for the job, and they need to be the ones to gain their trust. And as for the advisor, I think Rahne Sinclair can do the job. All I have to do is call Muir Island and ask her. They can be called eXcalibur, after the team formerly on Muir."

"You're too smart for your own good sometimes."

"I know. That's why you love me. Anyways, girls, you need to think of codenames, and I don't mean to pressure you, but we're on a tight schedule."

"Mine's Frost." Cordy spoke up immediately, already having hers in mind.

"Jewel." Cassie spoke up next, much to the shock of the others.

"The exquisite Luna sounds good to me." Kat tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Primal." It was Eve.

"Lovely." Keirri came last.

"Alright. Just lose 'the exquisite' and we're set, Luna. Let's get going then." Emma led them down to the locker room, although she and Scott didn't need changing. "You're coming along too, Scott. We're going to test these girls out."


	12. Chapter 12: Dangerous Things to Come

**Chapter Twelve**

After changing into the blue uniforms which basically covered their bodies, with the exception of their eyes, nose, and mouth, eXcalibur looked barely ready as the breath was taken from each and every one of them, even Kat, as they prepared to launch themselves into battle in order to help what would hopefully become a fellow teammate. Emma and Scott led the way, staying very close to each other, and eventually they ended up in the hangar for the jet known as the Blackbird. The girls looked in silent awe at the ebony machine that stood before them, obviously so far advanced in technology that the government hadn't been aware of its production. The walkway lowered, and they all walked into the large jet, sitting down in separate seats and fastening their seat belts. Scott and Emma were up front, checking to see that everything was in place, and they got ready to take off.

"So, uh...Anyone ever been in one of these things?" Cordy spoke, trying to lighten the air of tension that was surrounding them, the quiescence becoming suddenly overwhelming. The other girls could barely shake their heads as above them the basketball court split in two, the loud Klaxon being heard even from inside the jet, and they launched into the deep blue sky. The sun was just beginning to set on the first, exciting day, and they were heading North to Maine at alarming speeds. They landed in under ten minutes at a small clearing surrounded by trees, which would be good enough cover along with the stealth shielding of the Blackbird. The girls undid their seatbelts and went down the walkway, Scott and Emma picking up the lead again and leading them out of the forest.

"It's so quiet..." Kei acknowledged the silence of the forest immediately, absent of chirping birds or chattering squirrels.

"Too quiet." Eve looked around her darkly, sniffing the air lightly.

"Emma!" Just as Scott said it, his hand went to the knob on the side of his visor, turning it as a ruby red optic beam shot out, the raw energy causing the insides of the large snake above her to explode and scatter all over them.

"Ugh..." Kat was the one to complain first, wiping a bit of liquid from her cheek with her gloved hand. "Gross..."

"Who is it, Emma?" Scott continued to lead the girls, but all Emma could do was shake her head.

"I can't get a fix on them." She was obviously using her telepathy to scan the area, but she couldn't find any alert minds at the moment. Her pale blue eyes, like ice, narrowed into slits, hating walking into something blind like this.

As they approached an open rural area, even Emma's jaw dropped in shock. "Oh..."

"My..." Scott continued, the sight there shocking.

"God?" A beautiful woman almost as regal as Emma herself stepped down from the back porch of the Bailey house, snakes covering the entirety of the backyard. "There is none watching over you and your little girls right now."

"Who are you?" Emma demanded, frustrated by the prospect so much that she was gritting her white, perfectly aligned teeth.

"Oh, don't you know?" She gave a chuckle as she halted, her lime green eyes twinkling with ambiance. "Or can't you read my mind?"

"Give the lady an answer." Scott's fingers instinctively went up to the knob on his visor.

"Or what, Cyclops?" Her head full of snakes hissed lightly at the newcomers, each and every one of their fangs dripping with venom. "You'll move and that snake curled around your ankle will kill you?"

Scott looked down to realize he hadn't noticed a snake that matched the color of the woman's eyes was indeed curled there, fangs prepared to sink into his flesh. There was no movement for about half a minute before he gave a sudden twist of that knob, the snake almost biting him before it was massacred by the beam. Emma shifted to her diamond form, years of practice making it look easy to become crystal-clear as she had. She broke into a run, approaching the woman and ignoring the snakes snapping at her almost invulnerable ankles. Before she could get there, however, a dusty pink figure came down from the gutters of the house, tackling Emma to the ground with an impact even she felt.

"I'm sorry about my comrade here. I believe you two have already met. My name is Anna Conda, remember it well." She practically hissed through her teeth, daring to match the supermodel quality of Emma's. "And this...is Marrow."

Emma gave a cold smirk, her trademark. "Oh, yes. Marrow, who is dumb enough not to know that diamonds are stronger than bones." She stood, picking Marrow up and hurling her to the side, doing damage only to a few snakes in the surrounding area. Scott was ready to blast an energy beam from his visor, but a sharpened bone flew past his eyes, taking the brunt of the beam immediately. He looked to the right and Marrow was back on her feet immediately, cracking her neck.

"Hey, Cyke. Miss me?" She puckered her lips, her magenta hair cut close to her head and arranged in spikes, as if a head butt could break the skin. He turned the knob to full blast and it hit her hard, knocking her back into the trees. Next came the snakes in front of him, blasting through and forming a pathway as he ran to Emma's side to confront Anna.

"Why are you here?" Emma lurched forward and her hardened hand grasped Anna's throat enough to cut off her breath.

"I'm here to help a diligent new student of mine. You might get to meet her." Suddenly, she broke into a fit of laughter, causing Emma to squeeze harder on her throat. However, she felt herself weakening, nauseated, her mind barely protected against what was to come next. She fell to her knees, trying to contend with the force that was reckoning with her mind psionically, but the next moment, she heard what she was sure to be Scott falling to his knees as well. Anna laughed once more. "Meet Delirium."

Dee Bailey came from the back door of her house, the blue in her eyes taking over the entire pupil as well as the whites as she worked the magic of her power. As soon as Emma and Scott were both down, Anna looked to the group of girls, and they knew that this was their cue. Launching herself into the air above the snakes, Katina Braddock left the ground first, her psionic butterfly wings flittering lightly in the air. When she got close to Anna, darts shot out from the tips of those wings, but they just went right through Anna with no affect. "Can't you read my mind, little girl? Psionic attacks have no affect on me." However, she was powerless against the girl unless she was closer to the ground, where her snakes could reach.

The other four girls looked at each other, then Eve shifted from human form to wolf, though it took her a full minute to do so. Keeping the snakes off of her with blasts of ice, Cordy looked around her, trying to analyze the situation. Kei was just left in disbelief, not knowing anything that she could do in this situation. Suddenly, Marrow tackled her to the ground while she was deep in thought, but Primal leapt upon her in the nick of time. Marrow threw her off, but she regained her footing easily. Cordy shot a blast of raw ice at her, but Marrow had endured worse beatings on the Hill. She was blasted off of Kei, but remained ready to go, her advanced healing factor kicking in fast. She produced a bone from her wrist, missing Frost by nearly a centimeter, but she was tackled once more by Primal in her distraction. Kei, suddenly inspired by thought, shouted out to Kat. "Aim for Delirium!" Kat, ignoring her advice, shot more darts at Anna, getting frustrated. Cassie was nowhere to be seen, but the sudden fall of Dee brought everyone to a standstill. Jewel appeared behind her, irises glowing purple, but Nigh came up behind her, the size of an anaconda, and wrapped around her legs, binding them together and making her fall.

Anna Conda smirked. "Ah. Nigh. Such a good boy."


	13. Chapter 13: It Grows Deeper

**Chapter 13**

Anna Conda looked at the fallen girl in triumph, however, what she failed to see was Scott and Emma rising. Scott blasted her with one of his strongest optic beams, sending her flying through the house itself. Nigh quickly uncurled himself from Cassie to help his owner, standing in front of Anna baring its venomous fangs. Scott was ready to blast the thing to Hell, only he was stopped by Emma's hand on his shoulder. He looked at her with question apparent in his hidden eyes, but then turned a bit to see the father of the house standing and looking in horror at what they had done to his house. "Where's my daughter?" He spoke, eyeing them suspiciously.

"We're eXcalibur, Mr. Bailey, and your daughter will be fine. With your permission, I'd like to enlist her help on this team and take her to Xavier's for training." Emma spoke with her usual tone, although it was softened to convince him. He looked to the girls that now gathered around the back door, two of which were holding the dazed Dee up. They had taken care of Marrow with a bit of exhaustion, Cordy finally encasing her in a block of ice for now. The girls looked like something the cat dragged in, their uniforms looking dingy from grass stains and the like, Kat's ripped in the back from the places where her wings had emerged. The whole room fell silent, all eyes on him, but the silence was interrupted by a quick cry from Emma. "Anna Conda and Marrow are gone." She shook her head, thinking that this was a rough start to the newly formed team, but she still awaited David Bailey's decision.

"Take care of her, Miss Frost." He lightly nodded to the girls to show that that was meant for them as well, then headed upstairs with the stride of an old man as if he had aged in those few moments. Emma, still in her diamond form, took Dee from the girls' arms, who was awake to hear it all, but gave no protest. Emma carefully set up her telepathy to protect all of them from the girl's nauseating effect, all of them heading back to the Blackbird. The girls lingered behind a bit, Scott and Emma not slowing their pace to wait up for them.

"What a great first mission. We got our asses beat and the crazy woman got away," Kei said, a bit downtrodden that she didn't have anything to help them out.

"That's not my fault," Kat claimed. "You guys were busy with bone-girl back there and I was trying to take care of Medusa."

"If you had listened to Kei and aimed at Delirium, Emma and Scott would've responded faster and we would've had her ass," Cassie protested almost in a growl.

"Don't talk down to each other, please," Eve demanded dryly, having the energy drained from her at the moment.

"Hey, guys, I thought we were a team," Cordy reminded them. "If Emma heard you talking to each other this way, she'd be smoking in her white platforms. I know it's hard and everything, but at least we got Delirium to join us, didn't we?"

"She's your roommate. You fix her," Kat snapped, increasing her pace to catch up with Emma and Scott.

"Someone didn't have a good time," Cordy noted, smirking a bit.

"I feel so helpless," Kei sighed, folding her arms underneath her breasts.

"If you feel helpless, you will be," Eve advised, narrowing her eyes simply because she was tired.

They finally boarded the jet, silent on the entire way back. Emma turned to look at them. "I suggest you start designing those uniforms, unless you want to walk around looking like sextuplets." They all nodded lightly, though they were brought down quite a bit by their battle. They finally landed back inside the hangar, getting off of the walkway and changing in the locker room. They took their uniforms with them, each one deciding just how they'd want theirs to be designed. Emma had hired a seamstress to help them in designing them, but she warned that she'd only be there a short time. Kat went in first, mapping out everything she wanted, and as did the other girls. By ten o'clock, everyone was exhausted. Emma telepathically reminded the students that it was their curfew, and they all went into their separate rooms.

Inside Room 1, Cassie lie awake, staring at the ceiling, while Kei attempted to fall asleep. "Why aren't you trying to sleep?" Kei asked, not meaning to pry.

"I don't need sleep because of my power."

"But couldn't you if you wanted to?"

"I could." She considered a moment. "But I find it easier to just think."

"What are your powers? You never really explained," Kei pried a bit, her emerald eyes glued to Cassie.

"I can feel and absorb the emotions of others. That's where I get my energy. If I don't 'feed' every week, I start to drain my own emotions and go into a period of starvation. That's when it gets nasty." She quieted.

"So you're sort of an empath too?"

"Yeah."

"How long has it been like this?"

"All my life, I guess."

"Same here."

"Why don't you go to sleep?" Cassie suggested. "I heard we all have class tomorrow, and you don't want to be tired."

Kei took her advice and allowed her eyes to close, falling into the deep resses of sleep quickly.

Eve and Kat were inside their room, though Eve was lying with her eyes open. "Why didn't you listen to Kei?"

"Look, I came here to get a decent rest and to catch up on my beauty sleep, not to gab with you."

"I was just asking."

"Well, don't ask. Don't think that being your roommate makes me your friend."

"I don't. Believe me." Eve turned to face the wall, troubled, but letting sleep come to her.

Cordy flipped through the pages of her magazine, tired, but being exhilarated by the night's air. Her roommate was dead asleep, tired from today's exertions. Wearing her gloves, Cordy sighed a bit. She supposed Emma had a reason for rooming them together, Cordy immune to psionic attacks or detection, so she wouldn't grow sick of her new acquaintance. She laughed softly at the pun.


	14. Chapter 14: Blitz

**Chapter 14**

Today, the first week of August, was the day classes began and summer ended at the Xavier Institute, appropriately a Monday. Everyone seemed to be brimming with energy and the school was fuller than before, the students who had taken off for summer vacation now returning to complete the rest of their high school education. The halls were diverse with mutations, some visible, some not, but they all knew each other well.

Dee Bailey was inside Emma Frost's office, sitting in the plush chair in front of her desk and waiting. Emma had said that one of the teachers (she hadn't remembered who) had found something to restrict her power until she triggered it mentally, which had brightened her already stressful day. Emma reappeared through an adjoining door, carrying a white piece of fabric. Unpeeling what looked like a clear sticker with a chip on it, she warned her not to move as she placed it directly in alignment with her spine, at the base of her skull, where all the nerve endings were. The warning bell rang and Dee shot out to go to her first class, which was Algebra. The rest of the girls in her quad were in the same classes, making it easier to get to know each other, and to make sure they were all on the same level of education. Dee, only being eleven, didn't mind, however, because she had already been put in advanced classes, so this was nothing new to her.

Kat came into Algebra a full three minutes late, causing the whole class including their blue-furred, feline teacher, Hank McCoy, to gawk at her and even raised a few eyebrows. The front of her hair was pulled back into a barrette, while the rest fell past her shoulders in curls. Her blue eyes looked around for an empty seat and found one near the back, going there and sitting down. She wore a rose-colored halter top with blue jeans, exposing her muscled midriff along with a piercing in her belly button. Her black stilettos clicked lightly against the tile, but stopped as soon as she sat down, setting down her Louis Vuitton Cherry Blossom purse on her desk along with a designed notebook and a pen. The teacher cleared his throat as he began again to lecture about the class. She took out a compact and began to powder her face before she realized that all eyes were on her again. She snapped it close and put it back into her purse, before someone spoke out of turn. "Is it really a crime to look beautiful, Mr. McCoy?" The Algerian girl with raven hair and a perfect tan who had said it returned her expression to neutral, looking straight ahead as he turned around.

"No, Ms. St. Croix, but to use cosmetics in my class is particularly a sign of disrespect." There was a twinkle in his eye as he said it, knowing immediately by her voice that it was the being known as M. Though she was an excellent scholar, she was known to cause minor, girlish trouble, little more than annoyances, in class. He returned to his lecture, writing things on the board and hinting that the students should take notes. After class, the girl waited around for Kat, greeting her.

"Hey. I'm Monet St. Croix, but most just call me M. I could give you my full name, but I doubt you'd remember it." As Eve walked out of the classroom, M stuck her foot out subtly and Eve tripped over it, spilling her books everywhere. "Some people just can't seem to hold on to their things nowadays." She gave a small sigh, as if she really cared, her mocha eyes gleaming in delight.

Snickering as M tripped her roommate, Kat raised a fine brow. "I'm Katina Braddock-Worthington, but most just call me Kat."

Eve's face flushed in frustration, but she quickly returned to her usually bubbly mood as she stood, then bent over to pick up her books. A whoosh of air was felt against her cheeks and she looked up a moment, suddenly aware that a guy was standing there, holding out her books to her. She stood up fully again and took them, smiling in appreciation. "Thanks." He gave her a charming smile, shuffling a deck of cards in his hand.

"Oh, it's no problem. After all, there is no reason for me to exist if there is not a lady in need of my assistance somewhere." He never lost that smooth grin, and soon they both had the attention of every student in the hallway. "Name's Blitzkrieg. What is the name of the beautiful Goddess that stands before me?" She felt herself flush again, shaking her head lightly.

"My name's Eve Illusen." Her hazel eyes seemed to be at least a little bit curious.

"Who's that?" Kat asked with some interest.

"His name's Blitzkrieg. He's German." M smirked as she watched Eve stumble over words.

"He's hot. Why's he bothering with _her_?" Kat's eyes flashed with jealousy.

"Who knows. I have to get to French. See ya." M walked off.

Kat approached Blitzkrieg, leaning against the wall behind him. She tapped on his shoulder and he turned with astonishing speed. She allowed her heart-shaped lips to break into a smile. "Wow...Can you use your speed for _anything_?" She used a low, seductive tone that caused Eve to hurry up and join Kei and Cassie, slightly glad to get away from the situation. The warning bell sounded. "I have to go to English with Miss Frost...Think you can get me there on time, Blitz?" She asked, not without some helplessness in her voice.

"There's nothing I would rather do than escort a beautiful, lavender-haired enchantress to English class. Hold on tight." He scooped her up into his arms, running at top speeds, and getting her to the classroom in just a few seconds. As he set her down, her lips grazed his cheek, causing him to grin again.

"Thanks for the ride." She smiled and blew him a kiss as she walked into English class, Miss Frost raising a brow as the bell rang. "Hey, I wasn't late." She sat down in a seat near the back, again aware of her quad's presence there.


End file.
